Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was moved out of California by ICE, without his family’s knowledge, an incident that left his parents in shock. According to California congresswoman Luz Rivas, who talked to his relatives, the teen was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Van Nuys while walking his dog in the neighborhood.
He was then transferred from the Adelanto detention center in San Bernardino County to a remote facility in Arizona on late Monday. However, his family was not notified about it.
According to Rivas, Benjamin was then scheduled to be moved to Louisiana. However, things changed at the last moment, and ICE removed him from the deportation flight, sending him back to Adelanto. The 18-year-old is being held at the San Bernardino County facility now.
On August 8, the teenage boy was arrested and then held at the Metropolitan Detention Center before being transferred to Adelanto. Liz Becerra, one of his former teachers, who visited him there, revealed that while walking his dog, Guerrero-Cruz was suddenly surrounded by masked men. The federal agents took over his case and brought him to downtown LA. For a week, he was held there without having access to basic hygiene like brushing his teeth or taking a shower.
Even after being moved to Adelanto, the circumstances only got worse for the teenage boy. Benjamin was held in a small cell at the detention center, along with two dozen other detainees. He was not even provided food or water for the duration.
In the span of just over 24 hours, ICE shuffled Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz from Adelanto to Arizona and was originally scheduled to go to Louisiana before being sent BACK to Adelanto…
…all without his family knowing where he was.
My INFORM Act brings transparency to ICE and… pic.twitter.com/ruESYdXItZ
— Congresswoman Luz Rivas (@RepLuzRivas) August 28, 2025
Rivas stated, “The nightmare for him, his family, and thousands in similar situations is not over yet. will not accept the current reality that ICE shuffles and transfers detainees without notifying their family to inflict psychological pain for all of those involved.”
She demanded that ICE face the teens’ families with many questions about the whole ordeal. “Benjamin and his family deserve answers behind Ice’s inconsistent and chaotic decision-making process, including why Benjamin was initially transferred to Arizona, why he was slated to be transferred to Louisiana afterward, and why his family wasn’t notified of his whereabouts by Ice throughout this process,” the Congresswoman stated.
After my visit yesterday to the Adelanto Detention Center to demand answers about Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz’s unjustified detainment and transfer, he is back in California.
ICE’s inconsistencies and lack of transparency have inflicted harm on all those involved in this situation.… pic.twitter.com/xOqHm6oxuN
— Congresswoman Luz Rivas (@RepLuzRivas) August 28, 2025
Following the chaotic detention of Benjamin, Luz Rivas proposed a new legislation on Tuesday that would require ICE to notify the detainee’s family within 24 hours of transfer. According to the current rules, the agency is required to contact the family only in case of the detainee’s death.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Benjamin now faces deportation to Chile as his Visa expired on March 15, 2023.
Benjamin’s case once again shed light on the Trump administration’s mishandling of detainees and a disorganized process of what the President claims to be the biggest immigration crackdown in the history of the United States.
